The Big Brother Project
by AngelWingsAndSatansPitchfork
Summary: Naruto and Gaara have always been alone in the world, without a caring family to take care of them. At least, that was until fate brought them each a brother. If only fate could get them to stop arguing about art aswell.
1. Connection

****

~Chapter One~

**~Connection~**

Deidara sat on the clay bird, a wide visible grin on his features. He glanced over his shoulder as Iwagakure got further and further away. He'd probably get a promotion for what he done back there. If you consider 'S-ranked' an improvement from Jounin. The blonde was only eleven and he'd already messed up his life beyond repair and he didn't care one little bit.

He had managed to get hold of the coveted Kinjutsu his village had being hiding. He looked at his hand and at the pink tongue on his palm. It would take him awhile to get used to the mouths but he will in time. The mouth on his chest was lolling around. He had taken off his shirt as it had being bothering it. Deidara doubted he'd ever get used to that one...The extra tongues were worth it though. He loved the beautiful art they could create. Fleeting, just the way he liked it.

Facing ahead, Deidara closed his eyes. He enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing through his golden hair. It stung his wounds but he pushed the pain to the back of his mind. He was free now. That's all that mattered.

He opened his blue eyes and flashed his grin once more. He didn't know where he was going to go or what he was going to do now. Perhaps become a bomber for hire? Whatever happens, he isn't going back to the rock. No way, no how. He had risked his life just to get this far and he wasn't going to allow them to drag him back again. Ever.

Deidara's smile faltered and his eyes drooped. The bird dropped. His chakra and stamina levels were low due to his escape and he no longer possessed the energy needed to keep it in the air. He looked over the side and jumped, aiming for the river. The bird exploded in an array of yellow and red as the blonde sped through the air. His body made a large splash as it broke the surface of the water.

Deidara managed to muster up enough strength to drag himself onto the bank. He collapsed into a heap, panting heavily. He wondered what would happen to him after he passed out. Hopefully he won't wake up in a cell. He was only mildly aware of the voices around him and only managed to catch a glimpse of the owners' faces before his world faded to black.

* * *

Sasori raised an eyebrow at the Akatsuki leader. "You want me to what?" Currently, the puppet master was standing in Pein's office. Sir Leader informed him he was taking up a solo mission for a couple of months and was having trouble coming to terms with his given mission.

Pein sighed. The mission was simple. There shouldn't be any questions asked. "I want you to pretend to be the one tail's older brother," he repeated. "At the moment, he is only seven years old and should be quite gullible. He has family but is rarely seen with him so you shouldn't encounter any problems in convincing him. Your similar hair colour and style should help as well. Do you understand now?"

"Of course I do. It's not rocket science," Sasori replied, rolling his eyes. "I just don't see why we shouldn't just grab the brat and run. It takes less time!"

Pein shut his grey eyes and let out a soft sigh. "This way builds 'trust' with the child as he might prove to be useful in the few years we can't extract his demon!" he told him. That's exactly what Madara said to him when he suggested Sasori's plan earlier that day.

Sasori looked at him, a stoic expression on his face. "What about Orochimaru?" he asked. He presumed his partner wouldn't be joining him on the mission, unfortunately. The snake was more interested with children than he was. Plus the red head didn't have the patience.

"He'll be staying here."

"How am I supposed to stay undetected in Suna?"

"You won't. You'll go in, meet the boy and flee to Konoha."

"Konoha?"

Pein sighed. "Yes. Because you are well known to travel around in your puppet armor, no one will suspect you to be wandering around without it. Also, no one would expect an S-ranked ninja of your caliber to be living in one of the five great ninja villages. Besides, if you do get discovered, it shouldn't be too hard to grab the one tailed and run back here."

Sasori sighed softly and looked around the room, weighing the good and bad points against each other, trying to decide if this mission was really worth it.

"When do I begin?"

* * *

Naruto marched out of the academy, an evident grin on his whiskered face. He had just finished his very first day at the academy. He'll be Hokage in no time! Believe it!

So far, he was enjoying his lessons. He found it difficult to understand this chakra stuff but it was only his first day. He'll get the hang of it soon and will be even better than that blasted Uchiha! Sasuke Uchiha was the only one who understood what the teacher was talking about. Nerd.

Although, poor little Naruto found it difficult making friends. The other kids treated him like dirt, just like their parents did. He had tried his very hardest to be nice to them but they just called him a monster and kicked sand in his face. He couldn't understand why. What was so scary about him that made him a monster? He wasn't any different than the others... It wasn't fair.

His blue eyes fell to the ground as he lazily kicked a stone. "Onii-san!" Naruto looked up, hearing Sasuke's voice. He watched as the young Uchiha ran towards another boy. He was older than him, maybe around thirteen but already had stress lines etched into his face. The blonde watched him pick up the younger boy and put him on his shoulders.

"Can we get some ramen, Onii-san?"

"Only this once Sasuke..."

Naruto watched them leave, a sad expression on his face. He wished he had a big brother. Someone who would look after him, care for him and take him to the ramen stand. He let out a depressed sigh and walked towards the Hokage's office. Visiting the old man always cheered him up.

* * *

Kakashi walked through the forest, Anko at his heels. It was just his luck to get stuck on a mission with that devil woman. After every kill, she insisted on carving her initials into their backs. Then she'd lick the blood off of the wound, to get a taste of it. He was waiting for her to bare a pair of fangs and turn into a vampire.

"Remember when that one guy just wouldn't die, Kashi-kun?" Anko asked him. "And there was blood squirting everywhere, even from his eyeballs? And he kept screaming at us to help him but I just stood on his neck till he died?" she continued and tilted her head. "He was kinda cute!"

Kakashi looked at her, slightly creeped out. Yes, Kakashi 'Copy cat ninja' Hatake, fought in the last ninja war, current ANBU captain was creeped out, by a teenage girl.

He stopped in his tracks. Behind Anko, he noticed a child heave herself out of the river. "Anko, look!" he stated, pointing at the girl. He ran over to her, Anko at his heels. The two Konoha Nin looked down at the blonde as her blue eyes closed. She was in bad shape. Her body was covered in wounds and she had extra mouths on her hands and chest.

"Freaky..." Anko commented, poking the large tongue on the girl's chest. It twitched slightly, amusing her greatly. Anko poked it more, watching it twitch with a grin on her face.

Kakashi eyed the woman strangely before looking at the child again. She was wearing an Iwa headband with a slash through it, a missing Nin. He placed two fingers on her neck, checking the pulse. She was still alive, but only barely. He picked the child up. "We better bring her back to Konaha and get her medical treatment," he said.

"You know that kid's a dude, right?" Anko stated, pointing at the child. Kakashi looked at her before looking at the girl... er boy. He could see it now. He did look quite feminine but now he noticed the masculine features and the masculine feature.

Kakashi sighed, hiding his embarrassment. "Either way, we should take him to Konoha!" he stated and began walking. Anko walked alongside him. She wiped a finger across one of the boy's wounds and stuck it in her mouth, licking off the blood. Kakashi sweat dropped. "Please don't do that again..."

"Don't worry!" Anko grinned. "The blood ain't fresh enough anyway!"

* * *

Gaara sat on his usual swing set in the park, gently rocking himself back and forth. His emerald eyes watched the other children running around and playing. Every so often one would glance in his direction and quickly turn away; as if afraid his stare would turn them to stone.

He looked down at his sandaled feet, a pout making his way onto his lips. It's not fair. The other kids always called him a monster, a freak and would run away frightened, just because he was different and much stronger. All he wanted was a friend. Was that so much to ask? Even Kankuro and Temari, his own siblings, shied away with fear.

Gaara slid off the swing and marched on home, away from the scared looks and terrified faces. He found being alone more enjoyable than being feared. Well, he was both, every second of every day. He just found it more endurable when he couldn't see the fear. Sometimes, he even pretended there wasn't anyone scared of him, just shy.

Although, today just wasn't one of those days…. Today, he'll be stuck in the same routine he was always stuck in. Get up, go to the park, go home, kill something, and go to bed. The only thing that ever changed was the 'something' he killed.

Little did he know that today was going to be different….

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage, was sitting at his desk doing paperwork when his favourite little blonde marched in. "Old man!" Naruto yelled and ran over to him. The blonde climbed into his lap. "It was my first day at the academy today!"

Sarutobi smiled. That's right. The academy started up again today. It's all Naruto could talk about for weeks. How could he forget? "Did you enjoy yourself, Naruto?"

The child beamed at him. "It was awesome! Believe it!" he told him and started going through every little thing he learned that day.

The atmosphere in the room was a happy one, until Naruto talked about how the other students treated him. Sarutobi frowned. The children were calling him a monster? No doubt was it because of the parents. This was the very thing he had tried to prevent when he told the parents to treat him like a regular child. It was what the fourth wanted.

"Old man?" Naruto piped up at the end of his story. "Can I get a big brother? Like Sasuke-teme?" Sarutobi looked down at his innocent blue eyes surprised. He wasn't expecting him to say that and he no idea what to tell him. Luckily, he didn't have to make up an excuse.

"Sir?" his secretary said, knocking lightly on his door. "Hatake-san and Mitarashi-san are here to see you. They say it's urgent!"

Sarutobi gave her a nod before turning to Naruto. "Run home Naruto. We'll talk about this later!" he told him, picking him up and setting back on the ground. He smiled softly at him and ruffled his hair. "I promise!"

Naruto pouted, obviously disappointed that the old man hadn't said yes. He sighed and forced a smile. "Goodbye Old man!" he said, running out the door while waving at the Hokage.

The third smiled and waved back at him as Kakashi and Anko walked into the room, carrying a small blonde. "Hey old man!" Anko greeted him with a catty grin, flicking her wrist in a slight wave.

Sarutobi nodded at her and at Kakashi. "Anko, Kakashi," he greeted before glancing down at the child in Kakashi's arms. "Who is this and why'd you bring her here?"

Anko rolled her eyes. "For the love of... Can't you people tell a chick from a dude? Old man, that her is a him!" she informed him, pointing down at the blonde.

Sarutobi looked down at the child again and his eyes widened slightly as he realised Anko was correct. Kakashi sweat dropped and took a step forward. "Hokage-sama, we brought him here first because we thought you might be interested. This child is a missing nin!"

He glanced down at the blonde and noticed the slash on his headband. He... kind of reminded him of someone. A small grin graced the third's features. Now, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a good Hokage and he'd be the last person in Konoha to come up with an idea of this caliber but, it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. Sarutobi stood and approached the limp body. He gripped the headband and slowly pulled it off, careful not to hurt him. He gave a quick inspection of his person making sure to remove all ninja-related items.

"Kakashi; Anko; take him to the hospital and get him admitted to a private room. Tell them it was requested by me if necessary. But, in no circumstances, must you mention he's an S-ranked criminal nor must you mention he's from Iwagakure. If they ask, he's from one of the nearby orphanages. Make sure they sew those mouths shut too and I don't want rumors spread about them either. He's to be treated immediately. One of you must be at his side at all times until he wakes up. Then, call me. Understand?"

"Hai Hokage-sama!"

"No problemo, old man!"

"You may leave. I have some business to attend to." he said, waving them off. Kakashi bowed his head and Anko gave a half-assed wave and the two left the room.

Sarutobi reached into his desk drawer and pulled out some paper and a quill. Dipping the feather into the ink, he began to write.

_Dear Tsuchikage..._

* * *

Sasori followed the young red head, wearing a hooded cloak so he wouldn't be recognized. Pein was right. The kid did look a lot like him. He didn't seem to notice the puppet master following him either. After all, he should've only started the academy and shouldn't be able to detect chakra yet. Sasori waited until there was no one but him and the one tailed around before making contact.

"Gaara no Sabaku?"

Gaara whipped around to face the cloaked figure. He backed away and looked up at him, his eyes full of fear. Who was this guy? And how did he know his name? He looked around. They were close to the middle of the village where sand was the most scarce. There wouldn't be enough to protect himself if this man tried to hurt him – which he was sure he will.

"Don't be afraid…" Sasori said in a soft voice and kneeled down to the boy's height. "I'm not going to hurt you…" he added, pulling down his hood. His hazel eyes met Gaara's green ones and let a small smile grace his features. "I'm you older brother, Sasori, and I'm going to take you back home with me!" he told him, extending a hand in his direction.

Gaara looked down at the hand and back up at Sasori. His… brother? But he already had a brother - Kankuro! Besides, his father never mentioned another brother. He eyed him warily, examining him. He did sort of look like him…. He was more similar to him than Temari and Kankuro. Plus he wasn't scared of him, like a real sibling should be. Maybe he really was his brother…?

Gaara looked up at the smiling face again and smiled too. He put his small hand in Sasori's much larger one.

Sasori let his smile grow and clasped his fingers around the tiny hand. He stood up. "Come on Gaara. Let's go home!" he said and led him towards the gates of Suna.

Gaara looked up at his older brother. Finally, someone to look after him, care for him and shield him from all the looks and stares. Someone he can look up to and will protect him from danger, someone who would never hurt him or deceive him. Someone he can trust.

A smirk tugged at Sasori's lips. This mission was a piece of cake.

* * *

Deidara's eyes flickered open. He blinked up at the white roof, half expecting to see the sky. He looked around. White walls… white roof… white bed…. He was in a hospital. He noticed a brochure sitting in the bedside table. 'Konohagakure Hospital' he read. Konoha? He was in Konoha? He was dead meat. This village was one of – if not THE strongest of all ninja villages. He was done for.

Unless he escaped before he was recognized. Deidara sat up in his bed, causing him to let out a pain filled groan before falling back down onto his pillow.

"I wouldn't move too much if I were you!" a cool voice said. "You might undo your stitches!" Deidara turned his head to look at the silver haired man perched on the window sill. He was dressed in the standard ANBU uniform and a navy mask covered his face. The blonde recognized the bright orange cover of an 'Icha Icha' book. Great. Not only was he stuck with a Konoha ANBU but a perverted one at that….

Deidara narrowed his eyes. "Who are you and what are you doing here, hmm?" he asked, eyeing him skeptically.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't I be the one questioning you, Deidara?"

His eyes widened. "How did you…?"

The man smiled. Or at least, Deidara think he did. It's hard to tell with that mask covering the bottom half of his face. "The Hokage did his research. Don't you think he'd be curious when an S-ranked criminal is found half-dead outside his village?"

Deidara's eyes widened more. The Hokage knows about him? That means it's only a matter of time before he ships him back to Iwagakure. The old man will surely lock him up in a cell for the rest of life for the destruction he caused! He was doomed! Unless he blew up the pervert and made a break for it. It didn't matter that he'll be in too much pain to bear. He won't have to move much when he's on his clay bird anyway. Deidara reached down to the clay pouch attached to his hip to only discover it was missing.

The ANBU captain chuckled. "You're not giving our Hokage much credit!" he told him, turning the page of his book. "But, to answer your earlier question, I'm Kakashi Hatake and I'm babysitting you until the Hokage gets here!"

Wait… the Hokage's coming? Deidara groaned. He is so dead….

The door swung open. "Hey Kashi-kun! S'up twerp!" a woman with purplish hair exclaimed as she walked over to him. "Hey… you're kinda cute when you conscious!" she said, poking the blonde in the cheek. Deidara swatted her hand away and glared.

"Anko, leave the boy alone!" Another voice said. Deidara looked towards the door to see a short old man dressed in robes. His eyes widened. The Hokage….

He smiled at him. "Hello Deidara. It's nice to see you're awake!" he said, approaching him. He turned around to the girl and the pervert. "You two can go now!"

Kakashi bowed to him in respect and swiftly left the room. "Later old man! Bye twerp!" the girl said and waved before leaping out the window. Deidara watched as the Hokage sat in the empty seat next to his bed.

"I suppose you're wondering why I'm here?" he asked.

Deidara rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You're gonna send me back to Iwa, un!"

"No, I'm not."

"Huh?"

The third smiled. "I have a proposition for you. I won't send you back to Iwagakure, if you look after one of the orphans in this village, as an older brother!"

Deidara eyed him warily. This was the Hokage he's talking too. There's no way he's not going to turn him in if he looks after some snot-nosed brat. It's just too good to be true. "What's the catch?"

"There is no catch!" the third said. "However, if you cause any trouble whatsoever or cause any harm to the boy, I'm sending you to straight to the Tsuchikage!"

Deidara bit his lip. He didn't want to look after some kid. But, then again, anything was better than staying in a jail cell. "Fine. I'll bite, yeah. What's the kid's name?"

The third smirked.

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

* * *

**A/N: **

**And another story joins the ranks. This idea was spawn from a picture on DeviantART, in which Sasori and Gaara were sitting next to each other and I couldn't tell which was which. xD Eventually, my mind made the Deidara and Naruto connection and viola! This story was born.**

**I actually came across another story quite similar to this one after I had finished this chapter, in case you may be wondering. I read it for curiosity and it's a lot better than this one I have to say, but I like to think mine has its charms…**

**I doubt they'll be any major pairings in this, but if there is, it won't be canon. Just a little warning to those crack pairing haters out there. There should be very little OCs in this story. I don't have any planned as of yet but you never know.**

**Review~?**


	2. New Home

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~Chapter Two~

**~New Home~**

Sasori stared up at the gates of Konoha, holding little Gaara's hand. He had managed to get this far with little to no trouble. Then again, a couple of thieves were no match to an S-ranked criminal such as himself. The two red heads approached the guards standing outside the gate. One was a brunette with a bandana; the other had raven hair and a bandage across the middle of his face.

"What is your business in Konoha?" the latter asked the puppet master, casually leaning against the wall surrounding the village.

Sasori noticed Gaara's grip on his hand tighten when the ninja spoke. He took a small step forward towards him. "My brother and I are looking for a place to live. We had to leave our last village under certain circumstances. We wish to live in Konohagakure – a safer, more civil village than our last!"

The two looked over Sasori cautiously. The raven-haired one nodded to his partner and the two opened the gate, allowing the two red-heads inside. Gaara looked around at the village with wide eyes as Sasori pulled him through. He had never being outside Suna before, never mind being in a beautiful village such as this one.

Unlike Suna, this village had grass and no sand. His ultimate defence wouldn't work here. He must remember to tell Sasori about that later. Gaara smiled as he inhaled the fresh air, a lot less stale than the air back in Suna. He could make out the delicious scent of ramen wafting from a nearby ramen stand that was mixed with the sweet aroma of dango from the stand next to it. The people around his seemed friendly and not a single one of them referred to him as a 'monster' or a 'freak' which the young jinchuriki was very appreciative of.

Gaara smiled again and looked up at Sasori adoringly. He could grow to like this place; especially if he had a big brother to care for him the whole time.

Sasori watched over the passing villagers with a watchful eye. Nobody seemed to recognise him which was good. It was just less than ten years since the twenty-five year old had defected from Suna. It seems that the commotion of his leaving had died down enough that none of the ninja kept an eye out for his sudden appearance. All he had to do was avoid the Hokage and the older, higher classed Jounin and he _should _be alright. Hopefully….

"Aniki?" Sasori looked down at Gaara when he addressed him as his older brother. It almost brought a smile to his face at just how well the mission was going. "Is he the Hokage?" Gaara asked, pointing at an old man heading in their direction. "He's wearing the same hat as the Kazekage!" Yashamaru, his uncle, told Gaara not to refer the fourth Kazekage as his father, as someone as heartless and uncaring to his offspring, doesn't deserve the title.

Sasori looked in the direction is adopted younger brother was pointing and sure enough, there was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage. Following him was a small blonde. At first sight, one would think the child to be a girl but upon closer inspection, you could easily tell he was a little boy. The child seemed to be older than Gaara, maybe around genin age. However, he wasn't wearing a headband so Sasori guessed the brat was still an academy student. What he was doing with the Hokage, was another question altogether.

Sarutobi looked around him, smiling at the villagers as he passed them, just like he did every other day he walked through his village. Today, he was happier than usual. He found Naruto an older brother, someone to care for him. (If he wants to keep his life that is.) Maybe now the blonde will have a sense of belonging and the insults and name calling would hurt less. Maybe Deidara will grow protective of the little fellow and put a stop to it altogether.

Sarutobi's eyes fell on a pair of red heads heading towards him. They weren't from around here, he was sure. Yet, the taller one looked familiar somehow and the shorter one reminded of someone he just couldn't put his finger on…. The two seemed kind of lost to him, neither of them knowing where they were heading. He decided to use this to his advantage, hoping he'll realise who they are after a little conversation. "Excuse me?" he addressed the duo as he approached them. "Do you need any help?"

Sasori eyed him carefully, inspecting him closely. He didn't seem to recognise him…. Thank Jashin. He had hidden his chakra, long before he had entered the village so he hadn't to worry about him discovering his ninja status. "Well… my brother and I are new to the village and we don't have anywhere to go…" he told him, giving Gaara's hand a tight squeeze.

Sarutobi looked down at the smaller boy and he shied away, hiding behind his older brother. The third smiled down at him before looking at the older boy again. He seemed to be around… fifteen or sixteen maybe. His little brother would be around… seven – the same age as Naruto. Sarutobi smirked, a plan forming. "I know just the place! Follow me!" he told the two cheerfully and began heading towards the apartment block. His old team wouldn't be too happy with the way he was playing happy families. Well, Jiraiya might, considering Naruto was the kid in question but still, they wouldn't be best pleased….

Sasori followed the Hokage, keeping a firm grip on Gaara's hand. The small red head still hid behind him, scared eyes focused on the blonde walking with them. Gaara was used to his type. Boys like him teased him and called him names. They were always so mean to him because he was a 'monster'. He doubted this blonde would be any different.

Deidara looked up at the tallest red head. He was only a head taller than him and a few years older. He seemed more mature than he looks though…. He had a gut feeling that he should watch out for him. He turned his attention to the shorter red head that was a head and a bit shorter than him. The young boy was hiding behind his older brother, watching him fearfully. Deidara smirked. "Boo." His smirk grew when the boy hid behind his brother's legs more.

The taller boy rolled his eyes at the blonde. "Brat," he stated. Deidara glared at him. He didn't like him already. He probably had no sense of art or respect for it at all. Yes. Deidara could tell this guy was no good…. No good at all….

* * *

Sasori looked around the apartment the Hokage had given to him and Gaara. He wrinkled up his nose in disgust. It wasn't the best apartment around, yet, he doubted it was the worst. It reeked of old people and death. To be fair, the Akatsuki base reeked of death as well but that was mainly Hidan's room, Zetsu's room, the basement and the kitchen after Konan cooks.

The living room slash kitchen which he was standing in presently was, to put it bluntly, a dump. The paint was peeling off the walls and the furniture was scattered across the room, as if the decorator just randomly placed them wherever he felt like it. The kitchen had the distinct smell of sour milk and rotten eggs and Sasori could bet money that those very items were inside the tiny fridge. The shag carpet underneath is feet was in desperate need of a wash. Heck, it probably had lice. The puppet master had yet to venture into the bedroom or the bathroom but he really didn't feel the need to. In fact, he was dreading it.

Sasori opened all the windows, letting some fresh air into the apartment in the first time in years. He poked his head out the window and took a deep breath before diving back into the apartment. This was only a temporary living space, something he was very glad of. Why the Hokage thought _this _to be a suitable living space for him and Gaara he'll never know. Sasori was pretty sure it was something to do with the blonde that was him. He had taken the brat into the apartment next door. If the Hokage thought he was going to look after him, he had another thing coming. It was bad enough he had to look after the one-tailed kid, never mind some blonde brat as well. He was never that good with children… or people in general, really….

"Aniki?" Gaara asked, coming out of the bedroom. The child was much more adventurous and explored the bedroom. Despite Sasori telling him it didn't seem like a good idea to him. "Could you read me this story before I go to bed tonight?" he asked, handing his elder brother the book.

Sasori took one look at the bright orange cover and knew straight away what book Gaara had found. "Maybe another time!" Sasori told him, taking the book and putting it on top of the fridge out of the young boy's reach. "And I think we'll camp out in the living room tonight…."

"Why?"

"Just for fun…." Or it was something to do with the fact that Sasori was sure that that book wasn't the only 'explicit' object in that room…. One of the two.

* * *

"Remember; as far as Naruto's concerned, you're Deidara _Uzumaki._ Understand?"

"Yeah I got it old man," Deidara said, rolling his eyes at the Hokage. He had already heard this speech three times upon meeting the old geezer. How important was the kid thinking he was his brother anyway? Deidara was a ninja! He'd learned to adapt to these situations in the academy so well, he could do it in his sleep. He didn't need a pep talk from any kage. He could convince the kid just fine on his own.

The third smiled. "Then let's go!" Maybe, the kid wouldn't be the best brother for him. After all, he is an S-ranked criminal, capable of destroying Konoha if he let his guard town. He didn't have the warmest personality either. He was sarcastic, rude and short tempered. He had spent very little time with the blonde and he was already sussed out these traits. But, despite all these things, he's the first person willing to look after Naruto, even if he was being bribed. Poor Naruto….

Sarutobi knocked three times on the door, paused, and knocked again twice. He had developed a secret knock for when he was visiting Naruto. It was so the blonde knew it was him and was safe to answer it. If he heard another knock, he was to climb out the window and run straight to his office. Anyone else who knocked on the door, were usually trying to get revenge for what the Kyuubi did all those years ago.

The door was suddenly flung open and before Deidara knew what was going on, an orange blur tackled the Hokage, almost knocking him off his feet. "Old man!" it called out, clinging to third's torso as if it's life depended on it. Deidara raised an eyebrow. So this was Naruto Uzumaki…?

Oh dear God.

The small blonde looked up at Deidara, his blue eyes wide. He cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes at him before pointing at him. "Who are you?"

It took everything Deidara had to not snap at the brat there and then. He had to hold his tongue in the Hokage's presence if he wanted to stay a free man. He wasn't going back to Iwa, even if it meant looking after some snot-nosed brat who, admittedly, did kind of look like him….

"This is Deidara Uzumaki, your new big brother!" the third intervened, smiling down at Naruto.

"EH?" Naruto jumped back from the Hokage, staring up at him wide-eyed. The old man actually got him a brother? He didn't think he'd listen to his request. He thought it was just another thing he'd tell him he could get when he was older, like a puppy or a parent. He glanced over at the boy who was standing next to him. Blonde hair, blue eyes… he could be his brother, easy! Sure, he was a little feminine and could probably pass as his sister but that didn't matter! The guy - Deidara was it? – was his brother now, so nothing else mattered. But, just to make sure…. "Are you _really _my big brother?"

Deidara glanced up at the Hokage, who gave him a small nod. He looked back at the blonde who was now staring at him expectantly. He forced a smile and nodded. "Believe it!" …Believe it? Where did that come from? Oh well, what's done is done.

Naruto looked up at him for a moment before grinning. "NII-SAN!" he called out, clinging to the older boy's mid-section. Deidara awkwardly hugged him back, still unsure of the whole situation. Naruto quickly pulled himself away and grabbed the older boy's hand, dragging him into the apartment. "Come on nii-san! I have so much to show you!"

The third smiled at the two. Naruto was usually only this happy when ramen was involved. His plan was risky, impulsive and downright cunning and wrong, but seeing a smile of the young blonde's face would be worth it in the end. Sarutobi walked down the hall, leaving the two to get acquainted. He stopped outside the next doorway over and knocked. He wanted to have a small chat with this Sasori fellow.

Deidara blinked. He didn't pay much attention to the apartment Naruto was so keen on showing him. Instead, he was focused on the fact that Naruto didn't recoil when he grabbed his hand. Did he not mind the hand mouths? Once the younger blonde let go of his hand, he glanced down at his palm and his eyes widened.

The mouths were sewn shut.

He glared down at his hand and began pulling at the thread. He clenched his teeth at the pain before quickly pulling out the thread completely, like it was band-aid. The pink tongue poked out of the mouth, happy not to be restrained by the awful stitches anymore. It licked at any blood that trickled from the newly opened holes in his hands.

Deidara quickly did the same with his other hand before looking up. Naruto was still prancing around the apartment showing him all his useless junk. The older blonde's eyes widened at the state of the young boy's living space. The place was a pig sty. Items of clothing were strewn all over the place, some on the couch, and others on the floor. A few socks even hung from the ceiling fan above, which, was missing a blade and another snapped in half. Magazines and empty ramen cartons were scattered across the floor, which Deidara guessed hadn't been washed since Naruto moved in.

The kitchen wasn't any better and definitely didn't meet any health codes. More ramen packets were stacked on the counter into a haphazard pyramid, the microwave and fridge doors were lying opened and dishes were piled in the sink for what looked like weeks. The awful stench of sour milk wafted from the fridge and judging by the odour, it had been there for a while. Colourful fridge magnets were placed neatly on the fridge door, arranged to spell 'Naruto 4 Hokage'.

Deidara's head swung around when he heard something rattle inside one of the discarded ramen packets. He shouldn't be surprised that a mouse or a rat would be wandering around here. He picked up an old TV guide from the floor, (why he had one, he had no idea. He didn't even have a TV) and rolled it up. He slowly approached the small creature, the magazine raised above his head. He was about to strike at the ramen packet, when Naruto jumped in front of him.

"NO NII-SAN DON'T!" he yelled, kneeling down on the ground and reached into the ramen packet. "It's just Mausu-chan, my pet mouse. See?" he asked, holding up the small, grey animal in his small hands.

"Mausu, un?"

"Yeah! It means mouse! Isn't he cute?" Naruto asked, grinning as he nuzzled his pet into his cheek, the small animal sniffing at his face.

"Doesn't Mausu have a cage, hmm?" Deidara asked, glancing around the apartment, looking for said item.

"Yeah but he doesn't like it. Do you Mausu-chan?" Naruto asked the mouse, earning a slight squeak from the rodent.

Deidara sighed. Why couldn't he have got a cat? It's not that he doesn't like mice, in fact, he didn't mind them. It's just he didn't like the idea of the small creature running around willy-nilly in the apartment, easily popping out of who knows where. "Okay, un. But he has to sleep in the cage at night." Last thing he wants is to wake up with a mouse on his chest. Not again….

Naruto sighed. "Okay nii-san. Come on Mausu-chan," he said, letting his pet go. Mausu ran up the young blonde's arm and sat on his shoulder. "Let's go find your cage!" Naruto finished, running into the bedroom.

Deidara didn't even think about the state of the bedroom. Or the bathroom for that matter. He sighed and began plucking various objects off of the couch, where he was going to sleep tonight. There was probably only one bed anyway and the blonde didn't feel comfortable with sharing with him. Naruto was practically a complete stranger to him, and a kid as well, sharing a bed just didn't seem right.

Deidara didn't mind. He's slept on worse than a couch. How bad could it be?

* * *

"Kazekage-sama! Kazekage-sama!"

The Fourth Kazekage looked up from his desk at the ninja that just burst into his office without knocking. He sighed and dropped his pen. "What is it now, Yashamaru?"

"Gaara has gone missing!"


	3. Meet the Siblings

****

~Chapter Three~

**~Meet the Siblings~**

Deidara rolled over in his sleep and groaned. It was morning. He hated mornings. The sun filtered through the crappy blinds, a ray of light aimed directly at the blonde's. Naruto really needed to give his apartment an upgrade. Or should he say _their _apartment.

It was hard to believe that this time yesterday morning, he was as free as a bird. Now, he's stuck with a new little brother that turned out to be quite the handful. He developed a neat little habit of saying 'believe it' after every sentence, ever since Deidara had said it to him earlier. The artist wishes he had have picked a different phrase….

"Nii-san~!" Naruto sang, grinning down at the artist. "Time for breakfast! Believe it!"

Sighing, he rolled over, successfully falling off the couch and face planting into the carpet below, earning a laugh from the seven year old. Deidara groaned. What a wonderful start to the day. He picked himself up off of the ground and stood up, stretching his arms above his head. "Breakfast? You actually have something edible here, un?" he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Don't be silly Nii-san!" Naruto laughed, as is if Deidara had told him the sky was green. "I get breakfast at Ichiraku's! And lunch… and dinner… and supper… and everything in between… heh heh…" he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Deidara raised an eyebrow. _'Ichiraku's, hmm?' _he thought to himself. '_The twerp practically lives there, how bad could it be?' _

"Yeah, sure, why not?" he shrugged in agreement. "It's got to be better than whatever garbage you have lying around in here…." He said, eyeing the fridge/toxic waste storage container.

Naruto beamed a smile up at him, crystal blue eyes sparkling. "I LOVE YOU, NII-SAN! BELIEVE IT!" he yelled at the top of his voice and clung to his mid-section.

Deidara sweat dropped and ruffled the smaller bonde's hair.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now let go, un."

* * *

"I LOVE YOU NII-SAN! BELIEVE IT!"

Sasori shot the wall dividing his apartment and his neighbour's an irritated glare. They were a noisy bunch. He was glad Gaara was much quieter than the pair of blondes next door. He wouldn't be able to withstand this mission otherwise. He looked over to the boy on the couch, who was still sleeping quietly. A small smirk tugged at the puppet master's lips and he closed his eyes, making a few quick hand signs.

When he opened his hazel eyes again, he stared at the far wall of the Akatsuki cave. His hologram form stood on the left thumb of the two hands. He could recognise the holographic forms of his partner, Orochimaru on the opposite side of the hand he was stood on, Kisame, Kakuzu and his latest partner, who Sasori couldn't remember the name of, stood on the finger in between. On the other thumb, Pein stood tall and stoic. The finger next to him didn't have anyone standing on top, meaning the last occupant must've recently died. Konan stood on the next finger and Kisame's partner, Ryou, was next to her. Zetsu the Akatsuki spy took the remaining one.

"Hello Sasori, nice of you to join us," Pein greeted at him, glaring slightly. "Be on time next time." Sasori nodded, not bothering to give him an excuse. His oh-so-glorious leader wouldn't listen anyway. Not like he had one to give but that's beside the point.

"Before we begin, I'd like for us to mourn the death of Aka Janpa*, who died on a recent mission." Pein said, bowing his head. The others followed suit. Aka, was one of those rare members the Akatsuki recruited that everyone actually respected and liked. The others being Konan and… well, just Konan.

After a few moments, they lifted their heads and looked back up at Pein, who cleared his throat. "Sasori, we'll start with you. Give us a report of your mission."

Sasori nodded. "I've collected the Shukaku and we're currently residing in Konoha. We had a run in with the Hokage but he didn't seem to recognise either of us. In fact, he led us to an empty apartment we can stay in!"

"Sounds to me like you're not as memorable as you thought you were!" Kisame joked, his toothy grin still evident despite being in his hologram form.

Sasori gave him a look and Pein rolled his eyes. "Be careful Sasori. This is the Hokage we're talking about it. He may be old but he isn't a fool. He could have given that apartment to you to keep an eye on your whereabouts, or to set a trap. Don't underestimate him."

Sasori nodded. "I've already set traps around the doors and windows. I'm not one to be underestimated either." He smirked.

"Ah Sasori-kun! You're always well prepared!" Orochimaru smiled at his partner. "'You fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.' Correct?"

"As always."

Pein cleared his throat. "If you two are done reacquainting yourselves, I'd like to continue this meeting." The Akatsuki leader waited for all attention to be put back on him before continuing. "Now, our funds are running low again so I'm going to need you to make a few cut backs…"

* * *

Gaara tilted his head at his big brother. Currently, Sasori was sitting on the floor in the middle of the living room with his eyes closed, his legs crossed and his hands fixated in a hand sign. He looked to be… meditating or something. He waved his hand in front of the puppet master's face, trying to get his attention. It didn't work. Probably because his eyes were closed.

The young redhead sat down on the floor cross-legged in front of Sasori, his small arms wrapped tightly around his teddy bear's neck. Gaara watched him silently for a few moments, his emerald eyes staring at the calm, tranquil expression on the older boy's face.

After a while, he set the stuffed animal next to him, giving it a light pat on the head. He copied his brother, fixing his hands into what he thinks is the hand sign Sasori was using and closed his eyes. He kept this position for a few moments before releasing it. He couldn't see why he would sit in this position for such a long time. It was boring.

Gaara picked up the bear again, hugging him close. He just sat there and stared at his brother, until the older red head opened his eyes.

Sasori blinked down at the young jinchuriki sitting in front of him. He was out (well, out of mind. The puppeteer had yet to leave the apartment) at the meeting for a couple of hours, had Gaara been sitting there the whole time? "Are you alright, kid?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gaara nodded in reply, hugging his bear tighter to his chest. Gaara was a quiet child. He rarely spoke to Sasori, only speaking to him when he was spoken to, or maybe making the odd comment or asking the odd question. He didn't mind of course; he liked the silence. The redhead was just glad he had this boy as his 'adoptive brother' rather than either of the blonde's next door. He could hear nearly everything they said (shouted) to each other through the paper thin-walls. For the first time since the Akatsuki member arrived, it was quiet in their neighbour's apartment. They must be out.

Sasori looked down at the stuffed animal in Gaara's arms. He was sure he didn't have that when they arrived in Konaha... "Where did you get the bear?"

"The closet," he replied, pointing to the door between the bathroom and the bedroom.

"I see..." Sasori looked over to the closet. He hadn't been in there yet. In fact, he'd barely spent any time in any room but the living room and joint kitchen. When Gaara fell asleep, he checked out the other rooms. The bathroom wasn't as bad as he expected it to be, but it still could be doing with a thorough cleaning. Same as the bedroom. There were one or two things that the seven year old probably shouldn't have seen but other than that, it wasn't completely terrible.

"Aniki?"

"Hmm?"

"Can… Can we get some breakfast now?" Gaara asked shyly, clutching his bear. Ah yes, breakfast. Sasori forgot about food. Being a living puppet, he sometimes forgot that the humans needed to eat or they would die of starvation. He never needed to worry about someone's diet before, as Orochimaru usually fed himself.

The puppet master smiled at him, keeping up his big brother act. "Of course. Let's see if we can find somewhere to eat!"

* * *

"Naruto, un? Are you done yet? We've been here hours and you have to go to the academy in twenty minutes!" Deidara groaned, his blonde head rested on his fist, his arm propped up on the counter of the ramen stand. If had have known that the squirt ate this much, they would've left earlier. He didn't even know how someone that little could eat so much in the first place….

"Just one more bowl nii-san!" Naruto grinned after finishing the sixth one in a row. "Or maybe two…."

Deidara closed his eyes, and sighed. "You can have ONE bowl, yeah, but only if you can eat it in ten minutes flat!"

"I can do it in five! Believe it!"

"Oh I can, yeah…" he mumbled, rolling his eyes. He waved for the ramen stand owner to bring Naruto another bowl before sighing.

At this rate, he was going to eat him out of house and home and he had only known him for less than a day, most of which they were asleep for. He was going to need to find a job soon, before they end up in debt. It was a wonder the small boy could afford to eat ramen so often in the first place. Did he already have a steady income? An inheritance from his parents perhaps? Whatever the case may be, he'll have to go to the Hokage to see if anyone would be willing to hire an undercover S-ranked criminal. Probably not but you never know. Konoha people were weird.

As mentioned before, Deidara hadn't been in the village long and he already knew the people here weren't normal. First of all, the Hokage. What kind of leader blackmails an S-ranked criminal to stay in his village? Honestly, most kage's would bribe them to leave but this guy just had to go against the status quo. He'd also spotted some guy walking around town on his hands wearing green spandex. Deidara was no fashion expert but he was pretty sure that skin tight body suits were not in style at the moment. Or ever. Then there was the pervert that kept staring at his chest, furrowed his eyebrow in annoyance and stalked off, mumbling something about 'finding better research'. He didn't even want to know what that could've possibly meant….

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm going to be the next Hokage! Believe it!" the artist swivelled around in his seat when he heard the little blonde's outburst. He narrowed his eyes at the two redheads Naruto decided to acquaint himself with. They were the same boys from yesterday, the two that the Hokage gave an apartment next to theirs. He didn't the older boy, who was currently examining him closely. The younger red head smiled at Naruto's enthusiasm.

"What's your name?" Naruto continued, grinning widely at the boy. After all, it wasn't often (or at all) that someone is own age didn't run away from him or try to beat him up for being a monster. It was a refreshing change to say the least.

Gaara smiled at the blonde. When he had caught sight of him at first, Gaara was sure he'd run away scared for his life, like back in his own village. But he didn't. He introduced himself and seemed to want to talk to him. This was a change he could definitely get used to.

"Gaara."

"Well, nice to meet you Gaara!" Naruto grinned at him as Ayame handed the two red heads a bowl of ramen each. "Nya~ You like ramen too? I love ramen…" Naruto zoned out and began to drool as he thought about the dish. Gaara laughed at him, before digging into his own meal.

Deidara watched the two children converse with each other. Naruto struck him as a social butterfly the minute he opened his mouth. It didn't surprise him he made friends with a total stranger really quickly. Although, there was something that bothered the artist… On their way to Ichiraku's, the other villagers kept giving Naruto glares, or scared glances. Crowds would open up just let the little blonde through.

At first, Deidara thought it was him they were directing these actions towards and that his cover already had being blown. But, it wasn't. It was a seven year old boy they all despised and/or feared… Why would a ninja village, one of the strongest at that, fear a child? Something didn't add up…

He stood up. "C'mon Naruto, un," he stated, dropping money onto the counter to pay for their breakfast. "If we don't leave now, you'll be late for the academy."

"Brat," Sasori stated, speaking for the first time since he had arrived at the ramen stand. He paid for his and Gaara's meal, before gesturing the younger boy to follow him. Gaara gripped the puppet master's hand as always, allowing him to be tugged towards the blonde brothers. "Bring us with you. We're new to Konoha and don't know where the academy is." The Hokage told him to bring Gaara to the academy to begin his ninja training and that he would inform the red-head's teacher himself.

Deidara narrowed his eyes at the puppet master. He wasn't sure what, but he could sense there was something about him that shouldn't be trusted. Of course, little Naruto didn't know any better and agreed to the red head's request against his adoptive brother's better judgement.

"YEAH!" he exclaimed, grabbing Gaara's other hand. "I'll show you the way! Believe it!" he announced before dragging Gaara and Sasori, who's hand was still gripped by the younger boy. Naruto grabbed Deidara's gloved hand and tugged him along as well, grinning broadly. The two older boys, positioned at the either end of the line, sweat dropped at Naruto's actions, while Gaara just laughed.

Deidara wasn't sure if he liked his brother's new found friendship in the red heads. Gaara seemed okay, but his older brother… there was definitely something fishy about him… The bomber glanced at said man out of the corner of his eye, and swore he'd find out what it is.

* * *

The band of brothers stood outside the academy gates, watching the other various parents or older siblings lead the children inside. A small pink haired girl ran through the gates after a blonde of the same age, while their mothers gossiped. A lavender-eyed girl clung to a slightly older lavender-eyed boy, shyly watching the other students play. A raven-haired teen, not much older than Deidara, carried a smaller version of himself on his shoulders; except the latter boy was more cheerful.

The strangest sight by far, was a small white puppy running excitedly through the throng of people, a small brunette with red markings on his cheeks following it. "Heel, Akamaru, HEEL!" he called exasperatedly after it.

"KIBA!" another brunette with similar facial markings, presumably the boy's sister, chased after the duo, trying to get both of them to slow down.

The white puppy continued to flee from his owners, thinking this was some kind of game. It stopped for a moment, picking up on an unusual scent. It followed the smell, weaving in and out of the various people of various ages until it reached two small boys, a blonde and red head. It sat down in front of them, and tilted his head.

'Ha! The mutt can smell me and Kyuubi. How precious!' Shukaku's voice echoed in Gaara's mind. The red head screwed up his face at the raccoon monster's statement. What was a Kyuubi supposed to be…? Before he could ask the demon this question, a small brunette charged around the corner and skidded to a halt behind the pet.

"Akamaru! If you run off like that again, Hana-nee-chan isn't going to let me bring you to school anymore!" he warned the puppy as he plopped down next to it to give it a hug. The dog barked in response and licked the boy's cheek, earning himself a laugh from his master.

"Kiba! Akamaru!" the female brunette from earlier called and approached them. She stood behind the boys, as she tried to catch her breath. "You two need to stop running off like that or I swear I'll get Mom to keep Akamaru at home with the other dogs!"

"But Hana-nee-chan!" the boy whined as the dog howled.

"No buts! I'm serious the time!" Hana said, placing her hands on her hips. "Someday, you two are going to run straight into trouble…" she sighed. She looked up from her brother and his best friend, finally noticing the other four boys that stood with them. The two blondes and the youngest red-head looked at her with bewildered expressions, whilst the oldest boy was un-amused. Hana smiled at them. "Sorry, these little scamps can get a little out of control sometimes…" she apologised, ruffling Kiba's hair.

"So we noticed," Sasori stated.

Hana laughed nervously, and examined the boys. She had seen the youngest blonde a few times when she picked up or left Kiba at the academy, but he was usually alone. She doesn't recall seeing the other three before. "Hey, are you guys new?" she asked. "I don't remember seeing you around here before…."

Sasori nodded. "Gaara and I just moved here yesterday," he told her, placing a hand on top of his adoptive brother's head. "In fact, we don't know our way around the village. Do you mind showing me to the Hokage's office? The blonde brat doesn't seem to be of much help…" he said, rolling his eyes.

Deidara glared at him. "Hey! I'm not exactly from around here too, un!"

"I can do that! I have no missions today anyway!" Hana beamed at them. "Oh, I'm Hana Inuzuka by the way and this is Kiba, my little brother and his pup Akamaru." She introduced them, earning a smile and a bark from each of them.

"I'm Sasori no Sabaku and my brother Gaara. The blondes are…" Sasori trailed off at the end, realising he didn't know their names.

"Deidara Uzumaki, un and-"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm going to be the next Hokage! Believe it!" Naruto grinned, placing both hands on his waist as he stood proudly.

Deidara and Sasori sweat dropped at his outburst, having witnessed it for the second time that morning. Gaara just smiled as Kiba screwed up his face. "You're loud…" he stated, bringing the blonde out of his dreamland.

Hana racked her brains, trying to remember where she heard the name 'Naruto Uzumaki' before. She shook her head, deeming it unimportant. "Kiba, be a big boy and look after Naruto and Gaara until they get settled, alright?" she asked, kneeling down to the boy's level.

"But Hana-nee-chan," he whispered, a hint of fear in his eyes. "The other kids say Naruto's a monster!"

Hana blinked at this revelation, glancing at the grinning blonde boy. He didn't look like he was even a little dangerous. "Kiba… does he look like a monster to you?" Kiba glanced over at Naruto before looking back at his sister and shaking his head. "Exactly. Don't believe everything you hear, sport. Most of it isn't true. Now, promise me you'll play with them?"

Kiba sighed. "Okay Hana-nee-chan…"

"Good boy!" she grinned, ruffling his hair. Hana turned to the two teens behind her. "You guys want to head to the Hokage's now or wait to later?"

"Now's good," Sasori replied.

She grinned. "Well then follow me!" Hana began to walk in the direction the four boys had previously walked from, Sasori and Deidara following behind her. The three older siblings left their three younger brother's up to their own devices.

Gaara watched Sasori walk away, unsure if he was okay at being separated from his elder brother to be left with two complete strangers. He glanced at Naruto and Kiba. The blonde boy seemed to like him and want to be his friend and the brunette hadn't run from him so maybe, he could build some sort of friendship with both boys.

"Hana-nee-chan told me too look after you two which means you both have to do what I say!" Kiba grinned, crossing his arms. His canine companion barked in response before panting and wagging his tail.

"What? I didn't agree to that!" Naruto exclaimed, absolutely horrified at the idea.

Gaara sweat dropped. Okay, it might be a dysfunctional friendship the three might eventually build up, but it's still two more friends than he had in Suna. In fact, Gaara had a feeling he could grow to love Konoha. Things were looking better already.

* * *

**A/N:**

***Aka Janpa = Japanese for 'red jumper'. You know what they say, the guy in the red jumper always dies first. And since this guy is the first to die in my series, I thought the name fitted. ;)**

**Hana does know that Naruto has the Kyuubi sealed inside him, she just doesn't remember right now. **

**Also, Sasori isn't a teenager – he just looks like one (To me, anyway). Considering he turned himself into a puppet when he was roughly sixteen, he still must look sixteen. Therefore, as far as everyone who doesn't know his true age (in this story, he's in his late twenties) are concerned, he's sixteen.**

**Review? **


	4. Job Description

**~Chapter Four~**

**~Job Description~**

All hell had broken loose in Suna. It had only being less than a day since the Kazekage discovered his son – not Kankuro, the other one – had disappeared. He had as many elite ninjas he could spare to hunt down Gaara, mostly to make sure Shukaku hadn't decided to rampage and destroy a part of his precious village. If, by some chance, the demon directed his container out of Suna, well, it wouldn't be the worst thing to have happened. In fact, he pinned his hopes on this. He wouldn't have to worry about the demon breaking free and terrorising the village. However, It was doing a pretty good job of that whilst being sealed…

The Kazekage got up from his desk and looked out the window at his village, his hands behind his back. Yes, he wouldn't mind if youngest son disappeared. Sure, he'd be down one kid but he already had a perfectly good son and daughter, one of which would hopefully make a good successor for him. The tradition in Suna was a son of the Kazekage would inherit the position, if something was to happen to him. Meaning, Kankuro would be the next leader of the village… maybe. He wasn't deemed suitable for the position in his opinion. He wasn't strong willed, level headed or the sharpest kunai in the pouch… His sister, however, was every one of those. Except, well, a female Kazekage was unheard of and not many elders (or any at all) would give in to letting a woman rule their country. He supposed the best option would be to train Kankuro vigorously so when the time comes, he'll be able to take up the position.

As for Gaara, if he turns up, he turns up. And if he doesn't, then good riddance. 'No point dwelling on a lost cause' he thought to himself, and diverted his thoughts to more important issues. 'I think I'll have ramen tonight…"

* * *

"Welcome to the Hokage tower," Hana beamed a smile, opening and waving her arms for dramatic effect. "For all your Hokage needs~!"

The tower was relatively normal and plain, nothing too extravagant. It was an orange-pinky circular building, a wooden yellow roof was visible on the top of the bottom two floors. The very top of the tower had a railing around it, where the Hokage and other ninjas could view Konoha. Four white triangular shapes were visible on the top aswell. A red circle with the kanji for 'fire' was positioned on the wall beneath the railing.

"I doubt we'll be having many of them…" Sasori commented and began walking towards the entrance.

Hana blinked. "Is he always like this?" she asked Deidara, pointing a thumb at the red head.

Deidara sighed. "Pretty much, yeah…" he replied, rolling his eyes and followed Sasori into the tower with Hana in tow.

The trio travelled through the winding hallways and climbed up flights of stairs, following the Inuzuka's directions. They eventually made it to the Hokage's office, positioned in the centre of the top floor. After confirmation from the secretary that he was, in fact, free to see them, Sasori rapped lightly on the door and they entered the office after receiving permission.

The room was big and airy, which was to be expected of the Hokage office. The third was seated behind his large desk, stacks of paperwork balanced precariously on top of it. He was clad in his Hokage robes and seemed to be quite surprised at who his visitors were. After recovering from his initial surprise, he smiled warmly at them, dropping his quill.

"Good morning Hana, Deidara, Sasori," he greeted them, nodding at each one in turn. "What can I do for you?"

Sasori stepped forward, electing himself spokesperson and bowed his head in respect. "Hokage-sama," he began. "Sorry to bother you on such a trivial matter but Deidara and I are both in need of a steady income and we were wondering if you could help us find some jobs? After all, we both have little brothers to feed…."

Sarutobi nodded in understanding. It would be hard for the two of them to provide for their little families, especially with no jobs. He had paid for Naruto's apartment and the tab he had in Ichiraku's, but now that the blonde had Deidara, he no longer qualified for the Hokage's money. Sarutobi was wary on giving the S-ranked criminal a job, especially among defenceless civilians but a ninja job was out of the question. He can't risk him running off and causing trouble all over the world. He'd lose his position for sure. Considering there was no one he'd trust with the responsibility (except maybe Kakashi Hatake but he had gotton quite irresponsible over the years), he won't be stepping down for a while yet.

His eyes fell onto Hana and he smiled, an idea forming in his head. "Don't worry Sasori, I don't mind helping my residents!" he said. "In fact, Deidara? Tsume Inuzuka, Hana's mother, is looking for an extra pair of hands to help at the kennel if you're interested?"

Deidara looked at the Hokage. Even though what he said was phrased as a question, he could tell that he didn't have a choice in the matter. "That seems reasonable, un," he replied, nodding his blonde head.

Hana grinned and patted the boy on the back. "I guess we're going to be seeing a lot more of each other, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Deidara wasn't sure what to think of that. Hana seemed nice (and was pretty too) and he didn't really mind her, but working with dogs? He's an S-ranked ninja! He's stronger than most Jounins! He should be working at a more sophisticated establishment and shouldn't have to scoop dog poop for a living…

"Excellent!" the third stated, and began scribbling something onto a piece of paper. "Hana, you may escort Deidara to your mother and give her this," He handed the brunette the note. "It explains that Deidara will be working there from now on and what pay he should get, the hours he works and other business matters. Tell her it's a direct order from the Kazekage!"

"I will Hokage-sama!" Hana said as she took the note before bowing to him in respect. "Let's go Deidara-chan!" she said and tugged the blonde out of the office.

"Deidara-_chan?"_

"It's not my fault you look more like a '-chan' than you do a '-kun'! Just get a move on! You walk slower than Kiba!"

Sasori watched the two leave, uninterested. He turned to the Hokage when he addressed him. "I'm sorry but I'll have to search through some files to find something for you!" he said, standing up, using the desk for support.

"If it makes your search any easier, I was a chunin at my previous village, Amegakure," Sasori told him. Sasori had thought this decision through. Being a chunnin would be an acceptable rank for him. Most people his 'age' would be chunnins, plus it could cover his skill level too. Granted, he'll have to hold back a little but in the case he does appear to be too strong, then the worst that will happen is he'll get promoted. He picked Amegakure as Pein could provide him with a headband if needed and he'll cover for him if the Hokage questions him about it. His cover shouldn't be blown because of this. Plus, this way, he could leave the village and meet up with other members if necessary.

"Amegakure?" the third repeated, looking at him suspiciously. "But, doesn't you name mean 'Sasori of the desert waterfall'? Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure the rain village doesn't have any deserts…"

"No, you're correct," Sasori agreed, nodding once. "Gaara and I are originally from Suna but we moved to Ame after our parents had died in a sandstorm to live with our Aunt Konan. As you know, that country is very war torn so our Aunt sent us here, to live more peacefully and safely."

"I'm sorry you had to experience such a tough background," the third stated, frowning. "I can give you a few D-rank and C-rank missions so you can prove your new loyalty to Konoha but I can't guarantee you'll be allowed to keep the position. I'll also need to see your headband as confirmation. I have an important meeting so bring it to me first thing tomorrow morning and we'll make the necessary preparations."

Sasori smiled at him humbly. "Thank you Hokage-sama!" he said, bowing lowly to show him his gratitude. "Gaara and I greatly appreciate this!"

Sarutobi smiled. "My pleasure!"

* * *

"Akamaru! Heel boy! HEEL!"

"GET BACK HERE YOU FLITHY MUTT!"

"Akamaru is NOT a filthy mutt!"

"Yes he is! He stole my ramen! Believe it!"

Gaara sweat dropped as he watched Naruto and Kiba argue with each for the third time that day… and it was only lunch. He patted Akamaru's head, who now sat down beside him munching on the lunch he got unwillingly from Naruto. The blonde and the brunette weren't getting on the best. Gaara concluded it seemed to be a sort of power struggle, as that morning they both fought over who got to be the 'boss' of their newly formed little group. He was happy to let the boys fight over that position, he didn't mind as long as he still had friends to call his own; ones that weren't stuffed with cotton and could talk or hug him back. Not that he had hugged either of Naruto or Kiba, he didn't know them well enough. But, maybe someday he will.

"Hey, you!" a voice called out from Gaara's left. He swivelled his head around to spot a raven-haired boy with an unusual hair style. It spiked up at the back but Gaara couldn't help but notice that it looked remarkably like a duck's tail feathers. He wore a high-collared black t-shirt and white shorts. "What are you doing hanging around with Naruto and Kiba?" he asked him, stuffing his pale hands into his pocket. "They're both idiots as you probably noticed. Plus the blonde dobe is apparently a monster or something," he shrugged.

Flashbacks of when Gaara was called a monster back in Suna flashed through his mind. The lonely, confused, hating feeling bubbled up inside him again and he glared harshly at the boy. "Naruto **isn't** a monster!" he stated, furious that this boy could make such an accusation about the nice, smiley blonde.

A dark chuckle erupted in the back of his mind. **'Nah, just a little demon!' **Shukaku said, adding his unwanted input as per usual.

"I know that!" the boy said, rolling his eyes. "Nii-san told me he wasn't and I believe him. I just think you should be friends with someone less annoying, loud and ramen obsessed." The boy sat down on the ground a foot away from Gaara, his onyx eyes continuing to watch him.

Gaara blinked. "Are you implying that you want me to be your friend?" The red head had never even had one friend before and now he had people fighting over him? This was a situation he never even dreamed would happen, yet, in a way it was. Truth be told, he didn't literally have people fighting over him but the way the words were phrased could lead the child to believe so.

The boy shrugged. "You seem interesting. Like, the same type of interesting as Naruto, except more quiet and less annoying." He shrugged, nonchalant. Gaara wasn't sure what was meant by the 'same type of interesting', unlike Shukaku who seemed to find this statement hilarious, but it had to be a compliment, right? He did say he was interesting…

"Sasuke-teme! Stop harassing Gaara!" Naruto scowled the now identified boy. "You'll give him cooties!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Baka. You can only get cooties from girls. Everybody knows that!" he said matter-of-factly, crossing his pale arms.

Gaara blinked. "Cooties?" he asked, curiously.

"Yeah!" Kiba exclaimed, joining the conversation. "They're these weird bugs that live on girls and if she touches you, then you get cooties too. Then they eat all your skin until you're a walking skeleton!" the brunette explained, wiggling his fingers to spook the red head.

"You're wrong! Believe it!" Naruto shouted and pointed at him. "Cooties don't eat your skin until AFTER they lay eggs in your brain!"

Kiba facepalmed. "Ah! I can't believe I forgot!"

"Believe it!"

"Dobe."

"TEME!"

Gaara watched them, curiosity in his blue eyes. Did all boys his age argue with each other this much? He didn't recall seeing children act like this back in Suna… Maybe it was a Konoha thing. The locals were rather weird…. Like that guy in green spandex who was walking on his hands that he spotted when he was with Sasori…. You wouldn't catch anyone in Suna doing that….

Gaara sighed. He had found himself getting rather homesick lately. Well, he did prefer Konoha over Suna by far, but the hating village did have his charms. It was a lot warmer than the cool air here. Plus it was covered in sand, it being positioned in the desert and all. He had no way to protect himself here as there was no sand for his ultimate defence, causing him to rely greatly on his elder brother. He didn't miss the people and he didn't miss his 'family' for sure and he was certain they didn't miss him. But still, he had lived there since as long as he could remember and Konoha was so different…

"Gaara! Gaaraaa~! Hellooo? Anybody there?" Naruto's voice chorused as he waved and clicked his finger in front of the boys face. Gaara snapped out of the daze he hadn't realise he had fallen into and blinked up at him. Sasuke, Kiba and Akamaru had disappeared, leaving the two on their own. "Are you okay?"

Gaara smiled at the boy's caring expression. He hadn't seen anyone look at him like that since Uncle Yashamaru… "I'm fine."

"Come on!" Naruto said, pulling him to his feet. "It's time to go back inside and Iruka-sensei will NOT be pleased if I'm late again…" he said, laughing nervously before dragging Gaara back into the academy.

* * *

Like every Inuzuka woman, Tsume was tough. So tough, she managed to gain herself the title 'Tsume 'Ball buster' Inuzuka'. She didn't take any nonsense, wasn't afraid to speak her mind or use her fists to get a point across. Her sharp Inuzuka fangs and harsh glare were enough to scare even the toughest shinobi. She didn't even have to so much as utter a word. So, when the Kyuubi kid's acclaimed 'brother' shows up on her doorstep with a letter from the Hokage demanding her to give him a job, she had to use ever last restraint she had from not tearing the boy to bits.

The Hokage had warned her if she treated the boy any different from what she would anyone else because of whom his sibling is, she'd be demoted to genin. GENIN. That was a whole two ranks below hers! That threat also stretched to the demon himself, if Naruto ever had to join his brother for any reason. He better not. It was hard enough for her not to lash out to his older brother who was nothing but cheeky to her ever since he had shown up, never mind the actual Jinchuriki himself.

Unfortunately for Tsume, her daughter had taken a liking to, Deidara was it?, because she saw him as a potential friend. She didn't know who Hana was looking at but it definitely wasn't that blonde brat. She had tried to convince her to stay away from the 'brothers' (she knew Minato only had one child, so there must be something going on behind the scenes that she doesn't know about), telling her they were nothing but trouble. But, unfortunately, Hana was a true Inuzuka and was too stubborn to believe they were potential murderers. If only the third would let her tell her that the Kyuubi was sealed inside Deidara's 'brother'. She wouldn't be so eager to talk with them, that's for sure.

"Mom, you're grinding your teeth again…" Hana told her, watching her mother warily. She knew she could unleash her anger in a blinding fury quite easily. Even though Tsume would NEVER hurt her children, Hana had never seen her this angry before and she wasn't taking any chances.

Tsume snapped out her daze and looked sternly at her daughter. "I don't you or Kiba anywhere near those Uzumaki's!" she ordered.

Hana rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I have no idea what you see in them that's so bad!"

"And I have no idea what you see in them that's good!" Tsume snapped in response. "Those boys are an accident waiting to happen! Avoid them before you yourself killed!"

"You're overreacting."

"Overreacting? I'm UNDERreacting! You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Hana, and I want you out before you find out the hard way!"

Hana rolled her eyes again. "I'm going to go help Deidara feed the pups," she said as she headed to the door. "Don't worry, I have a kunai and six years of ninja training under my belt in case the civilian tries to hurt me!" she added, heading out the door.

Tsume glared at the entrance before sighing. "You're a true Inuzuka girl…" she muttered, heaving herself off of the chair in the kitchen. "Too stubborn for your own good…"

* * *

Sasori walked into his temporary apartment and pushed the door shut behind him. He had to get his hands on an un-slashed Ame forehead protector. It wouldn't be too hard to get, considering Pein was the leader of the village. It was contacting the Akatsuki leader that was proving difficult. Letters and going to see him in person was out of the question, it would take far too long. He couldn't think of any other way of getting a hold of him. Unless, by some sort of coincidence that-

"Sasori."

Sasori was surprised at the sudden calling of his voice and span around to see his caller. "Hello Zetsu," he greeted, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Just the man I wanted to see!"

"Really? **What for?**" Zetsu's black half spoke in a harsher tone than his paler side. He always the ruder one of the two personalities. His white half was more kind and sincere. The fact he had two skin colours was weird enough without having each shade of his skin having a separate personality aswell…

"I need you to get me an Ame forehead protector from Pein," he told him. "It's to help me become a 'ninja' for Konoha. It's so I can leave the village freely to return to the base if I ever need to!" he explained, knowing Pein will probably demand an explanation for something so reckless and out of character for the puppet master.

"I'll try, **but he'll still want to see you for being an idiot and becoming a Konoha shinobi!" **Zetsu agreed and insulted him, all in the same sentence.

Sasori nodded. "I guessed," he stated, nonchalant. "Any particular reason you've come to visit me? I presume you didn't read my mind and popped up here the minute you thought I needed you." Fate wasn't something the red head believed in. It was just another pitiful myth to believe in, like miracles and religion.

"There has being a slight change in your mission."

Sasori raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Zetsu nodded. "Pein wants you to grab the nine-tails kid as well, while you're here, to save time and money. **Saving money was Kakuzu's idea, not Pein's. **I'm sure Sasori could have figured that much out. **I wasn't saying that for Sasori's benefit. I was correcting you!"**

"So have you any details for me to make my search any easier?" Sasori interrupted what could drag on to be a very long argument. He didn't have the patience to wait until the plant man was finished.

"He's a boy- **No shit Sherlock. **And the son of the Yondaime - looks like him too. He recently turned seven and began the academy this year. Jiraiya of the sannin is his Godfather. We haven't dug much else up." Zetsu informed him, his yellow eyes unblinking as he watched the red head.

"You don't know his name?"

"We presume he's a 'Namikaze', like his father."

Sasori nodded, thinking about it. "Tell Pein I'll see what I can do," he said finally, waving a hand to dismiss the spy. "And make sure I get that forehead protector today!" he added, as Zetsu disappeared into the wall his head was sticking out through.

Sasori wasn't sure where to begin on this new part of the mission. He supposed he could ask around, but he doubted the people of Konoha would tell a complete stranger where the son of their hero lived. He supposed he could get Gaara to ask around his class, to see if he was among them. Or, the most likely option, he would have to hunt down this Jiraiya person. Not only will finding the jinchuriki be difficult, but getting him to come with him may be another story altogether….

Babysitting one jinchuriki while hunting another was NOT in his job description…

* * *

**A/N:**

**And another chapter bites the dust. :D There might be some hints of DeidaraXHana or ItachiXHana by the way, but I don't know if it will escalate further than that. I love crack pairings so expect a few others too~ ;3**

**Review?**


	5. Something Fishy

~Chapter Five~ ****

****~Something Fishy~

Onoki, the Tsuchikage, honestly didn't know what to think when he received the Hokage's letter. The good news was; he had successfully captured Deidara. The bad news was; he wasn't going to hand him over.

"I don't know what Hiruzen is thinking!" he complained to Akatsuchi, the ninja that brought him the letter. "He's supposed to hand missing-nin over to the respective leader of the village they defected from, not keep them to babysit some jinchuriki! Deidara is dangerous! He could blow up Konoha without even breaking a sweat! We're still recovering from the damage he did to out village for crying out loud!"

Akatsuchi watched him carefully, waiting until Onoki was finished his tirade before speaking. "Tsuchikage-sama," he began. "Hokage-sama must know what he's doing otherwise he wouldn't have done it at all. Don't you think he has more sense than that?"

"Sense? Oh I know he has sense! If only he'd use it every once in a while!" Onoki continued to complain. "This time, he's listening to his heart rather than his brain! Hiruzen Sarutobi has a soft spot for that nine-tails kid and is bribing Deidara to be his brother! That boy is dangerous! He could kill them all!"

"You've already made that point, Tsuchikage-sama…"

"Don't back sass me, boy!" Onoki scowled him, pointing a finger at him menacingly. He sighed. "Hiruzen Sarutobi is a stubborn old coot, much like myself. Once he gets an idea in his head, he isn't going to let it go without a fight. The easiest thing to do is let him carry through with it, and if- no, when it literally blows up in his face, then he'll realise the mistake he made when he thought he could control that boy. I couldn't control him! What makes him think he could?" The Tsuchikage reached into the drawer in his desk and pulled out a pen and paper. "Send this letter to the Hokage as soon as I'm finished writing it. Got it?"

Akatsuchi nodded. "Hai Tsuchikage-sama!"

-0-0-0-0-

Deidara stretched his arms above his head, loosening his stiff muscles. Who knew working with dogs could be such hard work? He had spent the majority of his first working day on his hands and knees cleaning out kennels and attempting to gives the pups a bath. Most of them had no desire to be clean and either kept jumping out or rolling in the mud again a few moments later. Plus the mothers were especially protective of their young and wouldn't let him near them until Hana assured them it was okay. However, one mutt was having none of it and sank its teeth into his wrist anyway.

He pulled at the bandage wrapped his wrist as he and Hana made their way towards the Academy to collect their respective siblings. Deidara was an only child but had to refer Naruto as his sibling because of the Hokage's orders. He didn't think of him as a little brother, but still treated him as if he were one. He had to, to make it believable. Then again, Naruto just had that personality that it was hard not to treat him like he was your relative. He treated everyone like that, so it wasn't hard to treat him like that in return.

From what Deidara could tell, Sasori and Gaara seemed to be quite close. Gaara trusted him unconditionally, and Sasori didn't seem to mind when the red head hid behind him as a mean for some protection. However, a ninja must look underneath the underneath and Deidara could see that there was something wrong about their relationship on the elder brother's part. Gaara adored him, that much was obvious, but Sasori… there was just something that wasn't right…

"Hellooo~? Anyone home?" Hana asked him, waving a hand in front of the boy's face. Deidara snapped out of his thoughts and blinked at the Inuzuka genin. "What were you thinking about? You were really out of it…"

"Nothing really, un!" Deidara told her, grinning sheepishly. He looked ahead at the neutral blue sky hanging above the gates of Konoha. The Leaf Village was sunny as always, few clouds floating by. It was so peaceful here, compared to Iwagakure. The rock country was prone to earthquakes that if the ground wasn't shaking, it felt too weird. Then again-

"You're doing it again!" Hana laughed, lightly punching him in the arm, successfully knocking him out of his daze again. "Seriously! What's going through that head of yours?"

Deidara paused. "The weather."

"The weather?" Hana repeated, eyebrows raised. "Who drifts off into la la land to think about the weather? You're a true blonde, you know that?"

Before Deidara could reply to that, Sasori approached and joined them in going to the academy. "Hana, brat," he greeted, nodding at them in turn.

Deidara glared at him. The red head had only known him maybe an hour more than he knew the Inuzuka, yet he had taken to giving him a nickname? If 'brat' can even be considered a nickname that is. The point was, he knew _nothing _about him. What right did he have to around insulting him like that? Zero right.

"Hey Sasori!" Hana greeted him cheerfully, flashing her famous fangs her clan were famous for in a bright smile. "So, did ya get a job?" Oh yeah. Deidara had forgotten about that, what with being absorbed in his own new 'career'.

He nodded. "I'm going to be a chunnin," he told her. "I have to go back tomorrow with my Amegakure headband and we'll discuss switching my loyalty from Ame, to Konoha. I'm only allowed to partake in genin missions until Hokage-sama is sure of my loyalty, which, is very degrading, compared to what I'm used to…"

"Aww come on! Being a genin isn't that bad!" Hana said, smiling sheepishly. Sasori raised an eyebrow, causing her to sigh. "Yeah, you're right. Being a genin sucks…" she agreed, before looking over to Deidara. "You're lucky you're just a civilian and never had to do any of those awful missions!"

Deidara remembered those missions from when he was a genin. Painting houses? Rescuing cats from trees? Raking leaves? He was glad those days were long gone. He had a theory that the main purpose of D-rank missions was to motivate genin enough to want to be promoted to chunnin as soon as possible. It was a very effective strategy. "I'll take your word for it, un."

Soon, the trio had arrived at the academy. Naruto and Gaara ran towards them with Kiba and Akamaru at their heels. Or rather, Naruto dragged Gaara PAST them and the Inuzuka and his boy chased after them. "We're going to the park, Hana-nee!" Kiba called at his elder sister. "Bye~!"

"TO THE PARK!" Naruto called out, pointing in the direction of Konoha Park. Gaara sweat dropped at his blonde friend, but continued to smile at his actions, not questioning them in the slightest.

"Aren't you boys' hungry?" Hana called after them, worried about their well-being.

"…TO ICHIRIKU'S!" Naruto said, changing his mind and lead the boys in another direction. The elder siblings sweat dropped at their actions before following after them at a much slower pace. As they made their way to the ramen stand, the trio passed a pair of raven-haired boys and couldn't help but over hear their conversation. Partly because they were speaking loudly, partly because they were eavesdropping.

"Can we go to the park too, Aniki?"

"Sorry, but I have to train."

"Then… Can I train with you? You can show me how to do that Fire jutsu!"

"Maybe another time, Sasuke!" the elder of the two told him, smiling apologetically and poking the young boy on the forehead.

Hana wrinkled up her nose at the display. Itachi had changed. She remembered him, back when they were their age and were starting the academy together. They were in the same class right up until the Uchiha graduated. Back then, there was nothing he loved more than his little brother. In fact, he was like that up until a month ago! Something must have happened since then, as he definitely seemed more… distant. Well, more so than usual anyway.

"Hey Itachi," she spoke up, mildly surprising the artists next to her that she interrupted their private conversation. "I'll take Sasuke to the park. I mean, me, Kiba and these guys and their brothers are going too," she said, pointing at the secret missing nin. "It'll be no bother at all!"

Sasuke looked up at his brother with hopeful eyes. Itachi looked down at him, his face impassive while his mind was going a mile a minute. Truth be told, he wanted to go with the park with him, where he'd indirectly train him via child games, like he's being doing since the boy could walk. But, after what the Hokage had told him a month ago, he REALLY needed to train… There was no way he would be able to murder his clan without as much training as he could possible get.

Itachi glanced at Hana. It wouldn't hurt to let the boy join her and Kiba. She was Inuzuka and Inuzuka's are known for the loyalty. If she gave him his word that'll he be okay, he knew she meant it. Although, those two boys she's with… there is definitely something fishy about them. He thought it out a little more for a moment, before nodding, silently allowing Sasuke to tag along.

The younger boy grinned before giving him a quick hug. "Thank you Aniki~!" he sang in a childish voice before turning to Hana and bowing. "Thanks Hana-san!" he said before running after his fellow classmates. "Gaara! Kiba! Naruto-baka! Wait up!"

"Sasuke-teme's coming! Quick! Run faster before he catches up!"

"DOBE!"

"TEME!"

-0-0-0-0-

"Pein… You have a message."

Pein glanced up at his partner, as Konan entered the room with a bird perched on her out stretched arm. A tiny piece of paper was tied around its leg. "Does _'Pein' _have a message? Or does the _Akatsuki Leader _have a message?" Madara asked from behind Pein's desk, his masked head resting in his gloved palm.

"Pein has a message," she repeated, glancing at the Uchiha with her amber eyes. "From the Hokage."

Before Pein could speak, Madara interrupted him. "From Hiruzen Sarutobi? I remember when the old coot was just a lad. Never liked him. He was too much like his sensei," he ranted, shaking his head. "Well, give it here!" Madara stretched out his free hand to Konan, flicking up his fingers towards him.

The only female Akatsuki member glanced at her childhood friend, who merely nodded, telling her it was okay. She carried the bird to the man and Madara untied the paper from its ankle and began to read it to himself. "Hmm… Seems our little Sasori wants to become a Konoha nin…" he mused aloud. "Hiruzen wants confirmation from his village leader, ie. Nagato, to make sure it's alright and blah blah blah blah." Madara trailed off, handing his subordinate the message.

Pein took the paper and began reading it himself. What Madara said was true. He already knew Sasori's plans, Zetsu informed earlier and he sent the spy back with a spare headband. He expected a letter from the Hokage, he just didn't expect it so quickly.

"Speaking of Konoha," Madara said and stood from the desk. "Seven years have passed since I last tried to destroy it. I think it's about time I tried again!" He tugged at the mask, fixing it a little before heading towards the door to make his leave.

"What about Sasori?" Pein asked, glancing at him.

"He's guarding the Shukaku and hopefully the Kyuubi," he said, pausing to answer the red head's question. "I can't afford to let him die so don't worry, he'll be fine! You care too much about this organisation, Nagato. That's a sign of weakness. Put your feelings for them aside. It'll suit you better." With that, Madara left the two Ame ninja in Pein's office and shut the door behind him.

Pein sighed at the Uchiha's words before slipping in behind his desk that Madara claimed and began to reply to the message. Konan watched her friend for a moment with anxious eyes, before looking out the window as the rain pattered against it.

-0-0-0-0-

The park was just as crowded with civilians as it always was. Children (both ninja trainees and regular kids) were running around after having completed a day of school. The odd elderly couple was walking together or feeding the ducks with leftover bread. Our protagonists were in the play park area. Hana, Sasori and Deidara were lounging around on the swings, watching the four kids play 'ninja'.

"Why do _I_ have to be the one who runs off to the creepy snake monster?"

"'Coz Sasuke-teme, I'm the hero and the hero has to rescue someone! Believe it!"

"At least Naruto gave you a big part. He has one fight with me and Akamaru, and then we fall asleep for the rest of the game!"

"I don't want to attack Konoha…"

Naruto sighed and placed his hands on his waist. "If you guys won't agree on your parts, how am I supposed to save the world from a crazy guy with a mask who wants to put an eye on the moon? You three aren't thinking clearly!"

"WE aren't thinking clearly?" Kiba exclaimed, flailing his arms. "You're the one who made up some guy who wants to put some weird eye thingy on the moon! I mean, who in the world is EVER going to do that?"

"And does he HAVE to be an Uchiha?" Sasuke scowled, crossing his arms and adopting the infamous Uchiha glare.

Naruto nodded. "Yes, he does. Kiba's clan isn't evil enough and we all agreed that neither Deidara-nii-san nor Sasori will ever do something so evil like leave their village and join some evil group full of bad guys! So, that means he has to be an Uchiha!"

"But that's not fair!" Sasuke complained. "You only want to make an Uchiha because you don't like me!"

"FINE! We'll make him some guy who everybody thought died in a war when a rock fell onto of him!"

"Much better!"

"But he's also an Uchiha…"

"NARUTO-BAKA!"

Gaara didn't pay any attention to their argument. He didn't see the point. He had only spent one day with the three boys and already figured that fights like this were going to be plentiful. So, he decided he'd stay out of them and let them sort it out amongst themselves. They usually did. Gaara dipped his hand into the sandbox, which he was sitting on the edge of it, and let the grains slip through his fingers.

'**What's the matter, boy? Homesick?' **Shukaku's voice rang out in his head. Gaara winced. He hadn't heard the usually chatty demon talk to him in a little while and he forgot how loud it could be. He nodded in response. **'You know what's a good cure of homesickness? A nice, long nap…' **

Gaara could sense the killer intent behind its words, and remembered a promise he made a long time ago. '_Uncle Yashamaru told he can't sleep or you'll hurt everyone!_' he said inwardly, knowing it'd be pointless to reply to the demon out loud since it could read his thoughts.

'**Not **_**everyone**_**…' **Shukaku chuckled maliciously. **'I can't hurt you or I'd die too. Can't touch your little blonde friend either or I'd risk letting the Kyuubi out. Even though the odds are I'm likely to kill that foxy bastard… Kukukuku!' **

Gaara shook his in a sad attempt to stop the horrible laughter giving him a headache. Of course, it was in vain. If a simple head shake was all it took to silence the demon, then it would rarely ever speak to him. He was about to ask the raccoon monster about this 'Kyuubi' thing when Naruto spoke, just like the last time he tried to find out what it was.

"Gaara! We're gonna play pirates instead of ninjas since Sasuke-teme is being unreasonable!" This comment earned the boy a glare from said Uchiha which the blonde ignored. "I'm going to be the stretchy captain, Teme is the swordsman and Kiba and Akamaru are going to be some type of transforming reindeer doctor. You can be my brother who controls fire and right now, you're in prison but not because you did anything bad and…"

Gaara smiled at Naruto as he listed off the latest game they were going to play. He liked this one better. Partly because he isn't destroying a village, mostly because he gets to be Naruto's brother.

-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:**

**This chapter took too long! D; The next one will be out faster, I promise! As always, thanks for the feedback~ It's much appreciated! ^ ^**


	6. Tastes like Poison

**~Chapter Six~**

**~Tastes like Poison~**

The Kyuubi kid was harder to find than Sasori initially thought. He didn't exactly have much information to go by. All he really knew was that he was looking for the fourth Hokage's son, Jiraiya of the sannin's Godchild and that he was in Gaara's year at the academy. Finding people was more Zetsu's forte, not the red head's, so naturally he was finding it difficult. In fact, he was more skilled in poisoning the boy, not locating him.

Sasori decided the best place to begin looking was the library, which he did as soon as Gaara was dropped off at the academy and Deidara and Hana had gone to the Inuzuka residence. Unfortunately, all he could find about the fourth's child was that the nobody knew what had happened to it, and is presumed to have died along with its mother before it could be born. Obviously that was wrong, and he ruled out asking the villagers, since they would all think he was dead.

When Sasori went to pick up Gaara from the academy that afternoon, he scanned the crowd of little children looking out for any blonde haired, blue eyed children that could be related to Minato Namikaze. Luckily, he managed to find two suspects. One of which was a little girl, so she was ruled out immediately. The other, was Naruto.

It surprised him that his next door neighbours could possibly be related to Konoha's yellow flash. However, Sasori doubted they could be. For one, any of the books he read in the library never mentioned that he had two children. In fact, he wasn't married to his wife long enough to be considered Deidara's father without some gossip or scandal coming arise.

Secondly, he subtly quizzed the boys on their parents, just to make sure. Naruto (sadly) claimed never to have known them. Deidara gave a vague description of them, which didn't match the Namikaze's. According to him, they got their looks from their Mother, not their Father, which certainly didn't fit.

Now, Sasori was in a stump. He didn't know where to look or who to ask next. Well, he did have one plan up his sleeve that he really didn't want to resort to. But, then again, desperate times call for desperate measures.

That night, he dropped Gaara off to have a sleepover with Naruto. Deidara wasn't pleased at having to babysit him, but Sasori didn't give him much of a choice. He then headed straight to a certain apartment belonging to a certain ninja. More specifically, Gaara and Naruto's teacher at the academy.

It was midnight when Sasori arrived at his destination, an apartment overlooking the wall surrounding Konoha. It was a dark night, despite the blanket of stars above. The moon was hidden behind one of the few clouds spread out across the sky. It was the perfect night for his mission, as he won't be too easily seen. The puppet master didn't waste any time on getting to the apartment. Sending chakra to the balls of his feet, he ran up the wall and disappeared quickly and silently through the window as he could.

For a ninja, this teacher wasn't very careful. It was a warm night in Konoha, he'd give him that, but leaving the window open was a rookie mistake. Sasori crept along the apartment silently and sidled into the bedroom, staying as close to the wall as possible. His target was asleep on the bed, snoring loudly, like he was expected to be.

Smirking, he tip toed over to his victim, pulling a small vial out of his pocket as he went. Sasori brought a few bottles of poison with him on this mission. He thought they would've come in handy at some point. That time was now. With a 'pop', he pulled the cork out of the mouth of the small bottle and tilted it above the man's head.

The violet liquid poured out of the bottle and into the academy teacher's open mouth. His eyes flung open as he felt warm liquid slide down his throat. He began to choke, but the poison was already swallowed. A cool, pins and needles feeling washed over him. He felt his blood ran cold. His heart beat slowed. Breathing became harder and harder and he felt himself gulping for air.

Within a moment, he was dead.

Sasori emerged from beneath eh bed where he dropped down as soon as his victim awoke. He pressed two fingers against the throat, checking for a pulse. Satisfied that his victim was dead, he hoisted the corpse onto his back and crept over to the window. He set the body onto the window sill and attached chakra strings to him. Quickly checking to make sure no one was watching, he lowered him down to the ground below.

As soon as he was placed down carefully and quietly, Sasori leapt out the window and landed neatly next to the lifeless corpse. Lifting up the body again, he began to make his ways through the backstreets and alleys of Konoha, making his way towards the Hokage tower to begin the second phase of his master plan.

* * *

Deidara was… pissed, to say the least. First, Sasori shows up on his doorstep, drops off Gaara and then runs off before the blonde could even ask 'why'. Then, he doesn't even bother to come back to collect the poor kid. They were currently at Ichiraku's having breakfast (It was Naruto's idea as you could probably guess. Deidara really needed to get him to break that habit if he ever wants to eat read food again) and Gaara had barely touched his ramen.

Deidara noticed that Naruto was oblivious to his friend's depressed state. He just continued to chat animatedly, paying more attention to his ramen than anything else. It was hard to understand him while he talked with his mouth full, but he could make out the words 'Hokage' and 'ramen', even the odd 'believe it' so he could make an educated guess what he was talking about.

Gaara didn't seem to care much about the one-sided conversation Naruto was having with him for once. He just stared into the still full bowl, poking the ramen with his chopsticks as he let out the odd sigh. Considering the events of the past day, Deidara was sure the boy was worried about his older brother, most likely wondering where he was and if he was alright. He, on the other hand, really couldn't care less as long as he hurried up and came back and started taking care of Gaara again. It was bad enough he had to unwillingly look after Naruto, never mind another kid on top of that.

Luckily, some deity somewhere put him out of his misery and Sasori strolled into Ichiraku's and sat down next to Gaara as if he hadn't just ditched the boy the previous night without even so much a word why. He waved at the old man behind the counter to bring him a bowl of miso ramen and ruffled Gaara's hair, who perked up with the arrival of the puppet master. Deidara glared at him from the other side of the two academy students.

"Where were you, hmm?"

Sasori glanced over at the younger artist before turning his attention to the newly acquired bowl of ramen. "I went out for a midnight walk and stumbled across a corpse," he began, breaking apart his chopsticks. "The boys' teacher, actually. I brought the body to the Hokage's office and offered to become his temporary replacement until someone more suitable was found to take the permanent position."

That story seemed all too suspicious to Deidara… For one, why would he go on a midnight walk and why wouldn't he take Gaara with him? The boy was an insomniac, he discovered last night. It wasn't like he should be sleeping. Two, it seemed a little too coincidental that he came across his little brother's teacher's dead body on the one night he decided to take a walk. To him, it sounded like Sasori got a little hungry for death and that the academy teacher was the one to satisfy it. Why _him _of all people, Deidara couldn't figure out. There must have been some vendetta against him, Sasori didn't seem like the type to kill without reason.

Then again, he had been wrong before. Not very often, mind you, but still, he had made a few mistakes…

"You're our teacher now?" Naruto exclaimed through a mouthful of ramen, bright blue eyes sparkling as he swallowed his breakfast. "That's awesome! Believe it! I like you more than the other guy. He kept glaring at me for some reason…" he said, trailing off at the end as he pouted in thought, before grinning at the eldest red head again. "You start today, right?"

Sasori gave him a small nod. "Considering your last teacher is dead, yes."

"But he still could come back as a zombie!" Naruto exclaimed, wiggling his fingers in what he thought to be a threatening manner. Gaara's head whipped around to stare wide eyed at the blonde, who nodded at him. "Yeah! Except instead of teaching us badass techniques, he'll eat our brains and grind our bones to make his bread!"

"I'm sure that last one is done by giants Naruto, not zombies," Sasori said nonchalantly and took another bite of his ramen, ignoring the piercing glare coming from the opposite end of the counter. Even though Sasori was acting normal, Deidara is sure there is something fishy about what he claims to have happened the night before, and he was determined to find out what really happened, and why it did.

After all, there is a suspect for every crime, and Sasori should be on top of the list.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the door to Konoha morgue and was instantly hit with the stench of death and blood. He hated having to visit here. The odour was terrible, and he couldn't stand to see residents of his precious village's corpses. It was depressing, seeing how some of them were killed. But, he had to if he ever wanted to get to the bottom of the academy teacher's death.

He was shocked when Sasori stumbled into his office, attempting to carry the larger, limp body. When Sasori told him what happened, he had the corpse sent to the morgue straight away to get analysed, especially since his death was mysterious. The Hokage wondered if it was murder. He didn't know who would want the man dead. A disgruntled parent perhaps?

He didn't know, but he was going to find out.

"S'up Old Man!"

Sarutobi was surprised when he spotted the purple haired woman grin at him from the lab table she was sitting on. "Anko-san?" he asked, eyeing her confused. "What are you doing here? Where's Shiro-san?"

"Shi-kun had to leave for some apparently big emergency out in the forest of death." Anko replied, casually shrugging her shoulders. "Some kid was found dead there and they wanna know what killed him. I wanted to go too but Shi-kun said I had to stay and wait for you." She added, pouting, clearly unimpressed at having to be left behind.

"I see..." Sarutobi replied slowly, still eyeing the girl. She never told him why she was here. Although, quite frankly, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. She was Orochimaru's student after all… "Did Shiro-san leave me a note?" he asked, looking around the room in hopes of spotting an envelope or something similar with his name on it.

"Nope," Anko said bluntly, sliding off of the table. "I helped him examine the corpse so I'm supposed to tell ya~!" Sarutobi paused momentarily, before nodding at her and waved for her to explain.

Anko led him to another examination table on the opposite side of the room. There was a body lying on top of it, and he instantly recognized it as the academy teacher's. There was a white sheet covering him from the neck down, which he was glad of. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to see him cut up or anything of the like… Anko stood on the far side of the table and poked the corpse in the chest. "He was given some poison that Shi-kun never seen before and he thinks it killed him at around one last night." She explained.

"That's terrible..." Sarutobi muttered.

"Yeah..." Anko said quietly, letting out a sigh. "You think whoever did this would've put more imagination into his murder. Poison is so overdone. I mean, if it was me who was going to kill him then I'd-"

"I'm sure you'd do an excellent job, Anko-san," Sarutobi said quickly, interrupting her before she could finish her sentence. "But does Shiro-san have any idea on who did this?" The culprit was what the Hokage was most interested in. Sure he wanted to know how he died, but it was more important for the safety of the village that the murderer would be caught before another innocent person was killed.

Anko shook her head. "Nuh-uh. There wasn't any fingerprints on the body or a hair or anything." She told him. "He reckons it was an expert in poison at the least. He says he might come across more clues when he examines some of the poison he extracted from the dude's stomach. Shi-kun found it hard to get it though, since most of it was in his bloodstream and is still melting away his insides as we speak but he managed to."

"My word..." he breathed. Never in all his years of being a ninja had he ever heard of a poison that could eat away at the flesh of the body from the inside out. Whoever did this is surely someone who shouldn't be trifled. "I'm electing you and Kakashi Hatake to investigate this further. Inform him immediately."

"Will do!" she nodded, grinning wildly. "Ha ha! This feels like CSI!" she laughed at she walked towards the door. Before she left, she turned around and waved. "Later old man!" she sang, disappearing into the sunlight. Sarutobi kept his eyes firmly placed on the body and sighed.

"Goodbye Anko-san. And good luck."

* * *

**A/n:**

**This is a little short but I wanted to get this posted. Sorry for taking so long! D: I've just over a week left of summer, after that updates will be few and far in between. But I'll try and post as fast I can! I'll make sure you get one chapter a month at least. . **

**I don't think I have much to say about this chapter. The first section with Sasori was the first time I wrote someone dying. I hope I did a good enough job with that. D; And you've got to love Anko. And I apologise for all the KakaXAnko I keep throwing at you guys. I can't help it. xD**

**Anyway, thanks for all the feedback as usual! I love you guys~ x3 **


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